Title: Rising Persecution of Christians in Nigeria and Beyond

The persecution of Christians worldwide has reached alarming levels, particularly in Nigeria, where an estimated 62,000 Christians have been killed since the year 2000. This situation has been described as a "silent slaughter" due to the lack of international attention it has received. In North Korea, Christians face severe consequences, including execution or imprisonment in labor camps. In Pakistan, blasphemy laws can lead to the death penalty, with Christians disproportionately affected despite making up less than two percent of the population.

The plight of Christians often evokes historical images of persecution, yet the current reality is dire. While the situation in Nigeria has garnered some recent attention, many in the West remain largely unaware of the scale of violence against Christians. The West is not entirely free from anti-Christian sentiment, as evidenced by incidents such as the burning of over 100 Christian churches in Canada, which received minimal media coverage. Additionally, Christian musician and pastor Sean Feucht faced venue bans due to safety concerns related to his beliefs.

Comedian Bill Maher recently criticized the media for its failure to report on what he termed an attempted genocide in Nigeria. He stated, "If you don’t know what is going on in Nigeria your media sources suck. You are in a bubble. I’m not a Christian, but they are systematically killing the Christians in Nigeria. They have killed over 100,000 since 2009. They have burnt 18,000 churches." Maher emphasized the severity of the situation, comparing it to other global conflicts and questioning the lack of public outcry.

The International Committee on Nigeria (ICON) has documented the killings, attributing 43,000 deaths to Boko Haram, a designated terrorist organization, and 19,000 to extremist Fulani herdsmen. Boko Haram, known for its radical ideology against Western education, gained international notoriety in 2014 when it kidnapped 276 mostly Christian schoolgirls from Chibok, with many still unaccounted for.

Andrew Croft, communications and relations manager for Open Doors Canada, highlighted the radicalization of groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, which aim to establish a Sharia state.

In response to the escalating violence, U.S. Representative Riley Moore has urged the U.S. Secretary of State to re-designate Nigeria as a "country of particular concern" due to the ongoing killings of Christians. Moore's letter noted that Nigeria is now considered the deadliest place in the world for Christians, with over 7,000 reported deaths in 2025 alone, averaging 35 per day. Since 2009, approximately 19,100 churches have been attacked or destroyed, underscoring the urgent need for international awareness and action regarding the persecution of Christians in Nigeria and other regions.